Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Clockwise Lightning McQueen, Fillmore, Sarge, Ramone, Sally Carrera, Flo, Mater, Guido, Luigi and Doc Hudson. - CONTRIBUTED
ANIMATED VEHICLES which do everything without humans aside, Cars is a surprisingly mature romantic comedy. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft (both also share writing credits), Cars throttles along nicely for the most part then guns the engine towards the end to arrive at a fantastic finish.
With animated cars zipping by and interesting quirky characters, the flick has enough to spark the interest of the young, but the storyline seems to generally be appealing to an older audience.
FRIENDSHIP, SELFLESSNESS
Cars is the story of Lightning McQueen a rookie race car who gets derailed from the fast track to stardom when he ends up in a small nearly forgotten town called Radiator Springs which is located in Carburetor County. The movie, therefore, falls in the city-slicker-meets-country-folks sub-genre.
Cars is about learning to accept people for who they are and understanding friendship and selflessness. It is one of those stories that attempt to promote that (dubious) idea of the warm-hearted goodness of America's heartland. Of course, it is always easy to revere the good-old days of when the heartland tradition ruled, if one forgets what else came with it.
So, Radiator Springs is situated along the famed Route 66, but is now by-passed because of the new interstate highway. As such, the town's economy has ground to a halt. Yet the few cars who are left live on the dream that one day their heyday will return and customers will once again flock to their store fronts for custom paint jobs, organic gasoline, tyres and the like.
QUICK-WITTED
With flicks like Shrek, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, animated flicks have become increasingly quick-witted. Though engaging, Cars veers away from this, often allowing the plot to move at a sedate pace as Lightning discovers that there is life outside the fast lane, and that driving just because can be as exhilarating as the thrill of a chase.
Of course, the heart of this flick is the quirky characters who people it, and the flick is well-voiced. Owen Wilson fills Lightning McQueen with personality while Bonnie Hunt voices his love interest Sally Carrera (a Porshe who has found small town life more her speed). Paul Newman adds gruffness to Doc Hudson but it is Larry the Cable Guy's Mater whose buck-toothed simple-mindedness worms its way under ones skin even though he is such a rural stereotype. Mater (as in Tuh-mater without the 'tuh') tends to steal the show.
This flick is filled with vroom-vroom, even though it doesn't zip all the way. Without depending on gas fumes to keep you light headed, Cars is a full-throttled flick that certainly has the horsepower to keep tots and their handlers entertained.
